Getting Back To What We Love

   I must apologize for I am horribly behind on my blog. In part because I haven't had the chance to get out and work much but also because I didn't have an experience go the way I wanted last month and it really got in my head. Staying true to the intent of this blog I feel compelled to share the story but it has taken me this long to really be able to. Wounded pride takes a long time to heal!

   After a long winter off because of my broken ankle Diva and I had finally started working again. I am not sure what made me think we were trial ready but when I heard of an all cattle AHBA trial in NY with very affordable runs I decided to enter. Getting an AHBA CH was on my "to do" list for this year and I very foolishly decided to enter HTAD and HTD level III. I assumed my dog was more than able to handle it and I assumed that we would get our Q's and start towards that CH. When you have these grand ideas about what will happen and things go vastly different it really knocks you down a peg or two. As it turned out the cattle were very combative and cranky after going through a 3 day clinic prior to the trial and the footing in the HTD field was very difficult for me to handle with my ankle. On our first run I, which was HTD, I walked to the post optimistically and sent Diva out the 300' to the cattle that were being held to a feed pan. I should have known by the way Diva left my side that things weren't right. She casually went out away but cut in to early and instead of pushing them towards me she was driving them back towards the draw. All of my attempts and re-directing her were ignored and she barked but lacked commitment. What I needed to do at that moment was walk out there and help my dog but the footing didn't allow me to do so. It was an epic fail. Ultimately the cattle moved out of range towards the draw and I called the run. Based on the first run I pulled the second HTD run and opted to wait for the HTAD where I was sure things would go better. It didn't. Diva failed to engage the cattle at all right from the start and she actually quit working. I was so embarrassed and angry that my WTCH dog was acting as if she had never seen cattle before that I once again didn't go out to help her. Instead I made it clear to Diva I was angry and called the run. Diva went back to the ex-pen and I vented my frustration. Nothing I thought was going to happen did and everything had gone wrong. In the final HTAD run I had decide that I would finally go out and help her have some success no matter what happened. Diva was slightly better but I had to be very close to her and really cheer lead things along. I called the run on a good note and went out to stew about where things had gone wrong. If not for having Kelly with me for the long ride home I might have just cried the whole way. I was embarrassed at our poor showing, disappointed in Diva, and mad at myself. Never mind that this was only the 3rd time Diva had worked cattle (or anything for that matter) in the last 8 months. I had envisioned us being great and we sucked. 

    This kind of failure left me with a burning desire to get back up to NY, work those same cattle, and have success. So a couple of weeks later Kelly and I were once again in NY. This time for a girl's day of working cattle. I had stopped pouting and realized that my expectations had been unreasonable. My plan was to stay in the arena and help Diva as much as she needed. The cattle were just as tough but I stuck to my plan and got right in there with Diva. In return she did so much better and when faced with a challenge she got down and gritty. As she got tired I could see her starting to lose her power so for our last go Dawn and Enya came in to work with us and we let the girls have some fun mixing it up :-). This was just what Diva needed and it was clear she was having a good time. 

   I left NY feeling much better this time and Diva left with a smile on her face!

To be continued...

Girl's Day At Keepstone Farm

    Nothing more fun than getting together with a bunch of friends for a girl's day of working dogs. Yesterday Jess and I drove out to Berryville, VA to meet up with Heather, Rae, and Nancy at Keepstone farm. My goal this year is to get Diva's AHBA championship and if possible I would like to do it entirely on cattle and RLF (Ranch Large Flock). Why, you might ask? Well it's simply a personal preference because as I get farther along in my herding journey I am putting more stock in cattle work and ranch/farm based trials. I don't think less of the other classes, or types of stock, but my own goal is to use Diva in ways that most closely stick to what the original Australian Shepherd was bred for. Our first AHBA trial is in early June and it is a cattle only trial in NY. We have only worked cattle once in the last 6 months and that was when I was still on crutches in February. The other exciting event was that Myst was finally old enough to get her first exposure to cattle!

    Diva and I started with a group of beef calves that were very light. There was one in the group that was quick to make a break for the draw and while he tried a couple of times Diva did an excellent job of turning him back and putting the group together. What impressed me the most though was how quickly Diva was able to establish calm control and her patience. The calves went from tail up and flighty to allowing Diva to work relatively close while they walked along. I sometimes forget that Diva really has something special when it comes to young stock in my quest to make her this "bad ass" working dog and this is a disservice to her. Fortunately I was smart yesterday and remembered to praise as she was working and make a huge deal out of her when we were finished. A little praise in the middle of a work session goes a long way and Diva knew she was making me happy which resulted in a very happy Aussie. Win/win, I think so :-). Jess got some good pictures so I will share them with you.

 

     If you have been following this blog along then you already know about Myst and how well she has been doing on sheep for her age and limited exposure. Normally we only work her at Hog Dog but for any puppy to continue their stock education they must gain experience at a variety of farms. Myst is still as keen as ever and the 3 lambs sorted off weren't as knee knocker as she and Jess have been working. It was entertaining for me to see Jess getting flustered but I am 100% sure it wasn't amusing to her ;-). We have all been there though with the speedy pup and the sheep that just don't want to settle enough for you to get a handle on things. It's all about good timing and Jessica will get it eventually. For only being her second time working away from home and second time working in anything other than a round pen she was a good girl. Fast, but good ;-). 

     We also took the opportunity to give Myst her first off leash exposure to cattle. There was one beef group that was pretty easy going so at first I had Jess just walking Myst around behind the cattle on leash and letting her get the idea. It's always a little scary to let them loose for that first time, especially when they are very keen and you know that a kick is likely at some point. I cautioned Jess that no matter what happened once Myst was in close to not say anything to her because that can distract them and get them really hurt. My expectations were just to have her check them out and push them around with out any commands. As long as she wasn't doing anything that was dangerous the idea was to just give her the opportunity to move them and start learning on her own. I know that the methods for starting pups on cattle varies widely but I am not a fan of using a line unless the dog really needs it for safety reasons. I suppose that there are probably just as many people out there who think turning a young dog loose is crazy too ;-). Myst did pretty much exactly what I figured she would do, straight to the heads and wanting to check these things out. Jess and I said nothing and she got in a little close which earned her a glancing kick to the head. It was not a hard kick (glad I picked the group I did :-)) and she ducked which made it barely graze her...no yelp, no running away. She went straight back at it and got the cattle moving. So what I got from watching her move these cows around was that she is very brave, very interested, not the best sense of group (she likes the break aways though, lol), no problems taking the cattle far away from the humans, and wants to go to the heads. Towards the end she was getting out a little bit and starting to work with me rather than just getting caught up in the motion. I was very pleased for her first time! The next time I put her on cattle we will head up to PA so that I get her in a smaller area and start helping her push from behind. Perhaps we will also give her a chance to meet ducks ;-). 

Myst was pulling Jessica to the cattle from the get go, no fear!

 

This is when she first got turned loose. She walked straight up on the heads.

Diva giving Myst a demo of how to move in on the head. Diva was being naughty and this earned her the leash ;-). 

 

 

Have A Little Faith

    Spring is finally here and with the glorious weather comes more opportunities to work sheep, yay! There is a trial next month that I feel like we need to get ready for and frankly just being out in the sun with my dog is wonderful feeling that I am in much need of. Our last couple of work sessions had been a mixed bag, primarily because of my short comings as a handler, and I really wanted to not repeat those mistakes. We started by doing a little sort to change out sheep for one of Rae's young dogs. I made an extra effort to control the volume of my voice and Diva seemed to really like it. When we walked back through the round pen where the last group was "resting" and opportunity came up and I took it. The three sheep were putting a lot of pressure on the gate hoping to be able to dart through so it was perfect for having Diva "watch them" and do steady one step walk ups. I kept using my whisper voice and Diva did some really nice steady work without looking at me like she has a tendency to do. Very successful, short, sweet, and done! Followed by judicious amounts of praise and fawning over her ;-).


    We then took an hour off to go watch Rae's agility lesson. I can see just how much Diva wants to get back to agility and it makes me sad that I am not there yet. Hopefully in another month or two I will be able to start testing those waters. 

    When I headed back out to the sheep field they had of course high tailed it up over the hill and out of sight. Now this might sound absolutely ridiculous to some people but I decided at that moment that I needed to have a little faith in my dog. To do this I had a little heart to heart with her that pretty much amounted to, "I can't walk all the way up this field so I need you to go out and get those sheep...please." I knew that Rae would eventually come back out and help me if I needed it but I also wanted to give Diva a chance. So I stood by the gate and sent her off to find the sheep. I couldn't see them myself so I didn't bother with any flank commands. The decision was up to her and I had to trust that she would do what needed done. Diva left at a good pace and when she hit the mid point up the hill she stopped one time to look back at me as if to make sure. I cupped my hands and yelled "go on" and she disappeared over the hill while waited. Now I must say that I am 100% sure that Diva will never do anything naughty to the sheep so that isn't a risk but I wasn't sure that she wouldn't just put them in a corner and hold them there while waiting for me to arrive. The feeling I got though when I saw the sheep start to come over the top of the hill and my wonderful dog wearing along behind is hard to explain. She has once again found her large pasture blind outrun and I am a proud owner. There have a been a lot of times I have doubted the depth of her instinct and wondered how much the arena trials really gauge working ability (bad me, I know ;-/ ) but seeing this in a huge open pasture, acres away from me, and completely out of sight I knew this was not just her being obedient. I could have quit right then and went home happy.

    Once she brought them into the arena field we sorted off a group and did some easy flanking and driving exercises just as a tune up. I was beaming and Diva was working so nice! To end our work we put the group back together and on a whim I decided to practice some shedding. Diva was willing to walk into the group and the sheep split nicely but she was torn on which group I was asking her to walk up on and push off so she paused and look back and forth before doing as I asked. I definitely think the larger group made it a little easier for her and in the end she did two very nice beginner sheds. Cue the big celebration! So not only was it a beautiful day but I had a great time and really felt like my better handling allowed my dog to work more confidently and correctly. 
    

Having A Good Exit Strategy

    Sunday morning saw Jessica, Myst, Diva and I back out at Hog Dog ready to work. When we got there the sheep were already in from the pasture and some what sorted so I started with Myst in the round pen. Myst is now fully aware of what it means when she gets out of the vehicle at the farm and her exuberance is demonstrated both vocally and physically ;-). Jessica was getting upset so I had to remind her how many times I used to have to walk Diva away from the gate before she would calm down enough to be taken in. I swear we went backwards more than forwards in those early days. Anyway, it's something that Jessica needs to work on at home as well as at the farm for it to really take affect. From my perspective I would much rather see her pulling towards sheep and ready to go than sniffing around disinterested.


   I started her out again just to make sure she wasn't going to be naughty but quickly got frustrated with her circling because I couldn't move fast enough. The issue is that I don't want the circling to become a habit and I don't want correct her for circling. Later on we will want her watching those heads and covering, so for now just moving to help her natural instinct direct her is best. Jessica is doing a great job picking things up and I am feeling very comfortable that Myst isn't going to hurt the sheep so once she settled a little I handed over the stick and took up my position on the fence. There are 3 videos of her working and I will share them in a minute but first I have to give praise where praise is due. Last week Myst was taking a down much better than the week before but this week she had improved yet again! She is downing when the sheep are at balance pretty consistently for her age and this gives us something to work with in the round pen. Jessica's dry work on "down" is showing. I expect that if things continue as they have been she will be ready to move to the arena and do walk abouts soon.

    That is one very keen puppy, lol! Good job Jess for keeping up and not falling over any sheep ;-). 

    After we put Myst away I took Diva out to sort a few sheep. I had Jessica come with me and once we had our group of 4 sheep I spent some time setting up little outruns and drives so that I could quiz Jess on her directions and why sending the dog a certain way was best under certain circumstances. Diva was gracious enough to demonstrate some nice outruns as well as a few go by slices ;-). Once we had played around with that I headed for the pasture to work at the free standing pen again. I know what you all must be thinking but I really did learn my lesson ;-). This time I opened the gate wide and I started by standing in the opening. Diva worked it out pretty quickly and we penned/un-penned a few times before moving on. The next exercise was with me standing about 15 feet away from the pen. The sheep were being just cagey enough that she was not successful the first couple of tries but she stuck to it and did get them in. I had her hold the opening, then un-pen, and we set it up one last time. On that last try Diva only penned two of the 4 sheep but what made it a big deal was as she was walking up she finally locked on, rated, and self adjusted to "hold" the two sheep that were trying to join their buddies. Like a smart handler I gave her the "that'll do" and praised profusely! Our total work time was probably all of 15 minutes long but it was enough. See I told you I learned from my mistake :-). 

   So why did I think it was successful if only 2 sheep went in? It was because of her demeanor at that moment and the way she was watching the stock. I wanted to mark that moment for her and end there because I know that Diva will remember that. It is the way she is. I had anticipated keeping things short and sweet after Wednesday but this was the most perfect set up I could have hoped for. It isn't always about the how long you work or what you do. Sometimes you need to have a good exit strategy to ;-).

Missing The Forest For The Trees

    I have been sitting on this post for a few days while I analyzed what actually happened vs. what I wanted to happen. It's incredibly frustrating to go from a working high one session to quitting the next time out and I admit I have been pouting. On Wednesday some of my most terrible faults reared their ugly heads...at the same time ;-/. I have never been a patient person and I will stick with something far to long to prove a point. My husband will also tell you that I have a habit of focusing on the details while overlooking the big picture. For lack of better words, I miss the proverbial forest for the trees. 

    I had a plan set out for the day which included focusing on the free standing pen and really getting Diva to "watch" her sheep. I have somewhere along the way got it in my head that I can train more "eye" on my loose eyed dog and Wednesday come heck or high water I was going to do just that. Yeah, right. I set out with Diva and 3 yearling lambs to do an exercise that I hoped would get me the desired result. So picture me about 50 feet away from a free standing pen with the gate only opened about half way. I have Diva push the sheep to the pen and they naturally duck around so I give her a flank command and try to set it up again...and again...and again...and again. You get the point. I was going to say very little and let her figure it out but with each failure I am giving more commands and she is watching me more and more. Round and round they go, changing direction, sometimes splitting, occasionally one will go in while the others split, ect. My training plan has fallen apart and I like an idiot am not helping my dog one iota! All I can seem to see is that Diva is not watching her sheep and she is missing small moments of opportunity when a little eye and just a step or two would have been enough. She is getting sucked into the motion of the merry-go-round. I think there was more than one occasion when I turned to Kelly, who was videoing, and expressed my mounting frustration. Thankfully Kelly had the good sense to tell me that perhaps I should go over to the pen and "show" Diva what the exercise was. Even with that we were still not having the kind of success I was after and so without really achieving anything I quit.


    After talking it over a little bit with Kelly I decided that I would do something different the next trip in and give Diva a break. After all it has been months since she really has worked so my expectations were pretty unfair. This is the part where I really hang my head in shame. I went back in (with new sheep) and went straight back to the pen trying to drill it again. So much for doing something else! This time I stood at the mouth of the pen and I focused on not saying to much. Some sheep would come in, some would split, Diva would put them back together, and finally with me in the pen (door half open) she got them in. Did I stop there and reward like a good trainer? Sadly, no. I was convinced she could do better and so we did it again and again. Ultimately I think Diva's brain was just about fried. She never quit working but she was desperately trying to figure out what I wanted from her. Again, thank goodness for Kelly, who finally made me stop and realize that while I was so caught up in what Diva wasn't doing (using eye) that I was missing all of the amazing things she was doing. She was getting "out" so nice when I asked, taking her "theres", and really trying hard for me. So finally right at the end I decided to empower Diva and let her a little fun. I let her focus on the sheep that split and encouraged her to "get it" which got her really watching and much more engaged. I remembered to pat my dog and tell her she was a good girl. I also told her I was sorry she had me for a Mom ;-).

    So what is the moral of this story? I hope that by sharing it helps other people to realize that we are only human, we all make mistakes, and that having a bad day doesn't mean you have a bad dog or are a bad trainer. Quite the opposite actually, like me, you might have a really good dog! One who keeps trying and doesn't quit, one that stays honest, one that gets the job done (even if it's not the way you wanted it to happen), but most importantly one that will love you at the end despite your faults. Always try and see the big picture and don't get so caught up in a relatively small detail that you too miss the forest for the trees.

    Diva and I ended the day with one last time on the sheep doing what I should have done after our first failure. We went out and played around with things that Diva does well, like outruns and driving. Actually, the idea that I can include driving as something stress relieving is a lesson in itself. 3 years ago I was pretty sure she would never drive at all! Now she switches from fetch to drive and back without a hitch :-). So Wednesday didn't go as I had planned but maybe it went the way I needed it to after all. I got the reminder to not rush and to be a fair handler and I also got reprimanded (albeit gently) by a friend for not appreciating the things my dog does really well. Looking forward to Sunday when Diva and I can get back out to Hog Dog!

Proud Moments

    Teacher. Explained by the most basic definition of 'One who teaches.' What makes a good teacher though? Is it the person who has the most success in their field? The most experience? Of course there are certain skill sets related to the field the person is teaching about that are required, but what about beyond that? I was thinking a lot about teaching yesterday when Jessica and I took Diva and Myst out to work sheep. Without real intent I am finding myself in the position of teacher for both Jessica and Myst as they start their herding training. There have been a few occasions that I have been asked to take on a more formal role of teacher and I have always shied away from it for various reasons. What I like to do is watch dogs work livestock, any dog, and if I can offer some advice then so be it. Sometimes it's just about approaching things from a fresh angle but usually it's about the way you present the information. Can the person understand what you are asking for and can you provide them with a picture of what is needed and why? This is what makes a good teacher in my opinion. Jessica has the wonderful opportunity to work with a trained dog (Diva :-)) and I am being blessed with the chance to see my training out there in action. In essence we are both her teachers. I don't know why it surprised me but I wasn't expecting the feeling of pride I got from watching them work together. While they were up in the big pasture fetching sheep I snapped a few photos and Jessica's smile says it all. 

 

    Jessica and Diva did a great job of bringing down the sheep, putting them in the sorting field, and then pulling off 3 and taking them to the round pen for Myst. Diva was looking for me once they came into the arena field but she didn't leave Jessica. In a couple of the pictures she is looking at me like, "Why are you hiding in the sheep shelter Mom?" LOL, very cute.

    When Diva and I worked it was a repeat of the previous weekend with me focusing on her go by side outrun and her inside flanks. I am trying my best to not say to much and to watch the tone and volume of of my voice. The idea was to whisper because earlier in the week I had admired some video blog of a friend where her voice was so nice and soothing. All I can say for myself is that I am a work in progress ;-). The other seemingly simple and yet very powerful thing I have been working on is to smile more while we are working. Diva reads my face and I tend to frown when I am concentrating hard. This makes her worry and get stressy, especially if I do it while we are trialing! It's amazing what a smile and a good girl will do for her while we are working.

    The real star(s) of the day were Myst and Jessica though. I decided to finally video some of her work because I know that Jess will want to look back later and see how far they have come. For the first trip in I handled Myst but my ankle caused issues. The 3 sheep we had sorted were very knee knocker and more than once they bumped me. It made me defensive and nervous not being able to move where I needed to be and in turn I was more firm with Myst than I wanted to be at this stage. To her credit she kept working regardless and was being a very good and honest puppy. On the second go I moved to the fence line and turned Myst over to Jessica. The result was lovely work for her age and Jessica had made improvements in timing and motion from last weekend. Myst is showing some wonderful things for a 7 month old puppy and there is no quit in her. I think they have a bright herding career ahead of them. 

                                       

 

    So for now we will continue to take Myst out to sheep once a week unless she starts to show signs of stress. Diva and I will be out to work again tomorrow (Wednesday) and my plan is to focus on putting her in situations where she absolutely has to watch/read her stock, particularly when sorting. I will be working on my whispering ;-).

Is It Spring Yet?

   I think I can safely say that pretty much everyone I know is so over this winter and ready for spring. Unfortunately Mother Nature just keeps dishing out the winter weather. Lucky for me I managed to get in a little sheep time this past Sunday morning when we had a brief reprieve from the snow and the bitter cold. I have been anxious to get out and start tuning up Diva for the spring/summer trials which are fast approaching and I also wanted to get Myst on sheep again to see how she is doing maturity wise. 

   It actually worked out well to have Jessica along because my ankle is not yet up for a long hike up the big pasture to retrieve sheep. It was however the perfect opportunity to send a green handler with an experienced dog out to do a nice easy large field fetch ;-). Call me cheesy, but as I watched Diva and Jessica head off over the hill and out of sight I couldn't help but feel a little proud. You see, Jessica used to come out and watch me work sheep at Hog Dog way back when Diva was just a pup and I was finding my way. So as they disappeared from view I held my breath and waited to see if they would find success, which of course they did :-). Jessica was surrounded by sheep and Diva was being a tad to pushy, but down the field they came and they both looked pleased with themselves. It is interesting to see what your dog does when working with another person and even better when it is a novice handler that doesn't micro manage. Diva was pushy but she was also covering and watching her heads really well. I admit I am guilty at times of expecting her to just fall in behind and wear quietly because that makes a "pretty" picture. Between having a few months off and Jessica not giving her any commands what I saw was a much more raw version of Diva. It gave me an idea. I have an opportunity to let Diva do more and give her back some of the freedom I took away when I didn't know better. My ankle doesn't allow me freedom of movement and so I am going to be forced to help her less. Ultimately I think this is a good thing!

    Which brings us to the part where I talk about working Myst. The last time she was on sheep I wasn't able to go in so Rae graciously stepped up and offered to help Jessica. Myst was wound up and acted very much like a 6 month old puppy. Knowing how hard headed and tenacious Myst is I knew that it was probably going to take a come to Jesus moment to get her thinking and that doing so would not turn her off. I don't want anyone to think I go around beating puppies, because I don't, but a well timed correction can do wonders ;-). We had sorted 3 nice sheep into the round pen that were smart enough to stay close but not so dead broke that they wouldn't split or move off in a drive. Myst of course made a straight line for the sheep and was fast and tight but she wasn't trying to grip so I concentrated on giving her some where to move them and changing direction. When it was obvious she was just getting herself more amped up I stepped in and caught her with the stick just enough to get her attention and that was pretty much all it took. You could see her slow down both in mind and body and she never missed a beat as far as staying on contact with the sheep. From there the work we got out of her was just lovely. Nice changes of direction, wearing, still wanting to control the heads, but also listening and reading her sheep. She is tighter on the go bye side and doesn't push out as well as she does going away, but for 7 months old and only her 4th time on sheep I was extremely happy. She proved she was ready to take some pressure and that she wouldn't wilt when corrected. For her second time in the pen I started her out but then turned things over to Jessica while I watched from the fence. Like most green handlers Jessica's timing was off but Myst stayed honest and they did some nice fetching around the round pen complete with a couple of downs. I was happy, Jessica was happy, and Myst was tired. Sounds like a perfect day! We will continue to get out now, hopefully at least once a week, and see how she does.

    Diva's work sessions with me consisted mostly of doing outruns and trying to get her more round on the go by side. She was doing nice inside flanks and driving the sheep to set them up for the outruns but her habit of looking back at me is still there. A sure sign I talk to much ;-).  I didn't ask for anything to difficult and we didn't work that long. I ended the session doing a little exercise at the free standing pen but found I was giving to many commands and getting frustrated with her lack of precision on the flanks. Hardly fair when she hasn't worked in a long time so as they say, a smart woman knows when to quit ;-). I gave her something to be successful doing, praised profusely, and we went home. Diva celebrated with a raw bone and I with an ice pack for my ankle.